THE BLENDERS DEMO CD REVIEW
Current mood: excited

After close to a year of emo, screamo, and hardcore at Madlins, I began to wonder if funky rock ‘n’ roll was as dated as I. Several groups have ‘danced’ around the issue in the front window of Madlins but finally THE BLENDERS hit the nail squarely on the head. Good old fashioned rock ‘n’ roll ala CHEAP TRICK, BOB SEEGER, and MITCH RYDER. The production quality of the CD is B , better than average, except for the first song where the vocals get lost under the music. The five songs demonstrate that first, this band is retro on purpose, a tribute to ‘old school’. Second, they have a capacity for writing original ‘old school’ tunes, and third, they have the talent to pull it off. Several songs illustrate audibly Taylor Workman’s fine bass plucking as he both sets the rhythm and picks the licks on the his musical path. The keyboards of Paul Ellingson are showcased in one number that edges a bit toward SUPERTRAMP, yeah retro, from young guys, including Joe Encee, electric axe, and Matt Workman, Taylor’s brother on drums. Fronting this rock ‘n’ roll tank now is Shannon Kilpatrick, a voice similar to Joelle James on the Demo CD. This is a great first effort.

– PT ROTHSCHILD